Press Statement
The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:
The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) strongly condemns the inhuman attack on a church-run children’s orphanage at Phutpali in Orissa by sangh parivar criminals in which a young woman student who was looking after the children was burnt alive. It is a reflection of the fascistic mindset of these organizations that they could attack a place housing innocent unprotected children. In other incidents of violence unleashed by front organizations of the RSS, another member of the Christian community was burnt alive while houses and places of worship across Orissa are being attacked. Several have been injured. The human targets mainly belong to poor tribals and scheduled caste Christian communities living in the most deprived regions of the state. All this is supposedly in retaliation to the killing of VHP leader Swami Laxmananda and four of his supporters reportedly by Maoists. While the killing is condemnable and action must be taken to identify and punish those responsible, it is shocking that the sangh parivar should use this as an opportunity to further its violent agenda of attacking the minority communities.
The communalists have been emboldened because of the support being extended by the BJP, a coalition partner in the Orissa Government. The CPI(M) demands immediate action by the State Government to take measures to stop the attacks, arrest those responsible for the violence and ensure protection of the Christian community in the State.